PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — “I, Denisse Gallardo, do solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.”
When Yeoman 1st Class (AW) Denisse Gallardo found out she would be in Hawaii for three weeks to support an exercise, she knew where she wanted to reenlist - at the USS Arizona (BB 39) Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
The memorial pays homage to the officers and crew who died when Arizona exploded and sank during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
“It’s a historic place for the Navy and our country,” said Gallardo, administration petty officer at Virginia Beach, Va.-based Expeditionary Training Group. “The way I look at it, it was the opportunity of a lifetime – I just took advantage of it.”
As Gallardo rode with her ETG shipmates on a ferry out to the memorial and shipwreck, they started talking about the usual Monday morning stuff: weekend activities, dinner plans, the day’s work agenda. By the time the boat pulled up to the white-arched memorial, however, the conversation faded, first to whispers, then respectful silence.
“It was actually a little emotional, more emotional than I thought it would be,” said Gallardo. “When you think back, read the history, watch the movies, or read the articles (about Pearl Harbor), you never really know the feeling. It was very emotional thinking about it.”
Arizona was hit by a bomb that triggered a massive explosion in its forward magazine and caused the ship to sink in just nine minutes. 1177 men died. Their sacrifice was an important reason for Gallardo to choose to reenlist at the memorial.
“Being in the military with families we do make sacrifices by deploying,” she said, “and you know it’s our job to do what we do, but I don’t think our sacrifice compares to what they did. I think it’s something major and you can’t help but feel grateful. Because of what they did, we’re here now.”
As brilliant sunshine splashed over the memorial’s white beams and Pearl Harbor’s waves gently lapped against the rusting remains of the once-mighty ship, Gallardo looked out over Arizona’s final resting place, turned to her captain, and raised her right hand.
| Date Taken: | 08.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2012 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 93854 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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